Each day, we collectively face environmental and social challenges that impact people around the world. One of these is the challenge of proper waste management, a challenge that requires bold solutions.
To help address this challenge, The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) has provided a grant to support local NGO, SWEEP Foundation, on their ‘Green Campus Project’ , designed to facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive waste management program across selected university campuses in Nigeria.
The pilot phase of this project will collaborate with selected higher educational institutions in Nigeria. The project will provide waste and environmental education, and establish university campus community drop-off points and recycling hubs, while simultaneously providing an additional income stream for the campus community youth who participate in the program. The implementation of this waste reduction scheme will facilitate the deployment of key infrastructures and mobile collection receptacles across participating institutions in the country. Overall, this program will help accelerate and improve the scheduled collection of discarded plastic bottles (PET) leveraging targeted awareness programs on campus community recycling.
The Green Campus Project is scheduled to flag off in the following universities- the University of Ibadan, the University of Benin, the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, the University of Port-Harcourt, and Obafemi Awolowo University. And will focus on galvanizing support for more sustainable means of dealing with packaging waste through cost-effective aggregation models. It also aspires to eliminate waste incineration, a common practice in many institutions in Nigeria.
The project will support 250 students with training, logistics, PPE, and other incentives in each campus-based recycling and waste collection hub as they volunteer at the various drop-off centers.
Amb. Phillips Obuesi, President, of SWEEP Foundation, reiterated the impact of the program on the selected universities and surrounding communities saying, “University campuses suffer from indiscriminate waste disposal habits of its staff and students, mostly occasioned by low – level awareness and inadequate infrastructures to support proper waste management across these campuses. Tertiary institutions as change agents in society play a central role in supporting students to forge more sustainable habits that are necessary to tackle plastic pollution. The Green Campus Project is therefore strategically positioned to lead the charge in these universities”.
Speaking on this project, the President of The Coca-Cola Foundation, Saadia Madsbjerg, said, “We recognize that student communities are critical stakeholders in our broad strategy to preserve and protect our ecosystem. We are proud to support this initiative which will not only improve the waste value chain of Campuses in Nigeria but will also help inspire an entire generation of environmental advocates”.
The Green Campus Project will be officially launched at a Flag-off ceremony on Wednesday, 5th April 2023, at the University of Ibadan. In collaboration with its local implementing partner in Ibadan, Recycledge, SWEEP Foundation will be mobilizing corporate businesses, government agencies, and other stakeholders, to harness the power of partnership in addressing the plastic waste challenge in the University of Ibadan and its surrounding communities.
About SWEEP Foundation
Statewide Waste and Environmental Education Foundation (SWEEP FOUNDATION) is a non -governmental organization incorporated under the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria with registration number RC: 144352. The foundation is a social enterprise committed to addressing environmental and waste management issues and taking action to improve the environment through waste and environmental education programs.
SWEEP FOUNDATION implements effective recycling programs across selected target communities with capacity to recover recyclable waste materials, generate revenue, and promote sustainable environment. SWEEP Services include: ● Community Drop-Off Centers ● Tricycle Waste Collection ● Recyclable Waste Facility ● Plastic Pick-Up and Sanitation.
About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation’s mission is to make a difference in communities around the world where The Coca-Cola Company operates and where our employees live and work. We support transformative ideas and institutions that address complex global challenges and that leave a measurable and lasting impact. Our giving is focused on sustainable access to safe water, climate resilience and disaster risk preparedness and response, circular economy, economic empowerment, and causes impacting our hometown community. Since its inception in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded grants of over $1.5 billion in service of its mandate to strengthen communities across the world.
